


It's Not Easy

by ReginaNocis



Series: How to Save a Life [2]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alive Hale Family, Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Alternate Universe - No Hale Fire (Teen Wolf), Magical Lydia Martin, Magical Stiles Stilinski, Multi, Pack Bonding, Sequel, The Pack is Awesome, Time Travel Fix-It
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-31
Updated: 2021-02-19
Packaged: 2021-03-16 21:20:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,111
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29088951
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ReginaNocis/pseuds/ReginaNocis
Summary: Three years after the battle between the Hales and the Argents, Beacon Hills is living in peace. Stiles has accomplished his goal, and he's ready to live out the rest of his life with his pack- his family. Unfortunately, Beacon Hills isn't quite done with danger and disaster.~He couldn’t tell anyone about his growing sense of unease. They watched him every day as he carved new runes into the trees around the Hale property, and none of them said a word or asked any questions. Sometimes, Lydia would join him and add her power into the runes with his, but even she didn’t understand why they were doing it. To everyone else, the threat was gone.
Relationships: Allison Argent/Scott McCall, Claudia Stilinski/Sheriff Stilinski, Cora Hale/Isaac Lahey, Derek Hale/Stiles Stilinski, Laura Hale/Graham, Lydia Martin/Jackson Whittemore, Talia Hale/Jonathon Hale, Vernon Boyd/Erica Reyes
Series: How to Save a Life [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2133369
Comments: 19
Kudos: 177





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

> I am so excited to be writing this sequel! I was blown away by the positive feedback from 'How to Save a Life', and I can't wait to take you all on this next journey through Beacon Hills. This story will be beta'd by the fantastic @SteelCode. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I know I'll enjoy writing it! As always, comments and constructive criticism is welcome! I love to hear your feedback and questions!!! I answer as much as I possibly can.
> 
> Thank you for sticking with me!
> 
> The names in the group texts:
> 
> Red- Stiles  
> Scotty- Scott  
> Lyds- Lydia  
> Sourwolf- Derek  
> Tink- Faye  
> Wolfie- Laura

_The full moon shone bright in the sky on the outskirts of the Beacon Hills preserve. The Hale pack celebration was already long over. The early hours of the morning brought with it crickets chirping and fresh dew on the grass. A slight breeze blew through the August air, rustling leaves and keeping fog from forming over the ground. It was a perfect night._

_“Are we going in?” a soft voice asked, impatience coloring her tone. Long nails scraped the earth beneath her feet, but she didn’t seem to notice. The towering man beside her placed a calming hand on her arm, and she snarled at him. He didn’t retract it._

_“Patience,” the man in front of them sighed. “It’s not yet time. Can you feel the magic in the air? It’s strong. Two mages, at least. We can’t take them by force.”_

_“Then why are we here?” the woman demanded._

_“We are here to convince Talia Hale that we don’t need force to gain what we want. She won’t refuse us, if she knows what’s good for her,” the man answered easily. He shifted his cane in front of him, but he did not step forward. It was as if there was an invisible line he was avoiding._

_“Why do you need us, if we’re not using force?” the first man asked, frowning deeply. His fist clenched angrily, though it was clear he wouldn’t strike his leader. Red eyes flashed for one split second._

_“I always need you, Ennis,” the leader said with a vicious smile. “Kali is my eyes, and you are my strength. I am your wisdom. Together, we are strong.”_

_It seemed to be what they needed to hear. Ennis and Kali calmed, claws retracting and fists unclenching. “How long do we wait?” Kali asked._

_“Not much longer,” Deucalion promised, reaching up to adjust his glasses. “No, she will see the light soon enough.”_

Across town, Stiles should have been asleep. He had his first day of freshman year the very next morning, and he needed to be ready for it. Sure, school was a breeze since it was his second time through, but he still needed to pay attention. He was rusty. It had been _years_. At fifteen years old, Stiles was both the same as he had been the first time he’d done this, and vastly different. His personality hadn’t changed at all; he was still the sarcastic little ball of fire that he’d always been. No, what had changed was the people he’d surrounded himself with.

**_From: Lyds_ **

_We should be sleeping, not discussing the properties of mandrake root._

**_To: Lyds_ **

_Yeah, but this is way better than any dream I might have._

**_From: Lyds_ **

_Just because you’re having awkward dreams about a wolf I won’t name, doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t be sleeping._

**_To: Lyds_ **

_I regret confiding in you. Goodnight, Lydia._

**_From: Lyds_ **

_No you don’t. Sweet dreams, Stiles._

He sighed as he reached over to plug his phone in, then laid back on his bed. He was fifteen now. He was _allowed_ to wallow in his crush on a certain Sourwolf that would not be named. Derek had changed a lot from the wolf he’d known in his reality. His Derek had lost nearly everyone he’d ever loved, and it had made him angry and bitter. It had taken Stiles _years_ to get him to trust him, and he’d just finally managed to maybe call him a friend when he’d made the decision to come back in time and save the Hale family from dying a gruesome death.

This Derek was nothing like his Derek. This Derek hadn’t lost _anyone_. Instead, he’d grown up with his entire family supporting him. Kate Argent hadn’t managed to get her claws in him, and no fire had been set. The battle between the Argents and the Hales had been epic- and mercifully brief. Now, Derek had his family and a vastly extended pack that was stronger than ever. He was happy all the time, and he was a joy to be around. Stiles was finding it very hard not to fall in love.

Derek was also heading to New York next week, to start his second year of college. His sister, Laura, had just finished up her last summer of classes before she was graduating and officially moving back home. They would all be flying out for her graduation ceremony in a few weeks. Her shiny new psychology degree would come in handy in Beacon Hills; even though peace had been abundant, it was still a town full of drama. Normal, human drama. Derek, meanwhile, was going for a teaching degree. He was planning to be a teacher at the middle school when he graduated.

Stiles knew all of this because over the last few years, he’d become the Hale siblings’ official confidant. He wasn’t sure how it happened, really. It started with Cora, right after he’d brought her father back from the dead. The very next day, she’d dragged him out into the forest to tell him all about the secret crush she’d harbored on Isaac since she’d met him. Not even two days later, Laura told him that she’d applied and been accepted into a college in New York. She was scared to tell her mother and be ordered to stay home with the pack. (Somehow, he’d managed to convince her to give her mother a chance to prove her wrong. Talia, of course, was delighted that Laura was going to go to such a prestigious school.) Derek himself had approached him two weeks later to talk about Paige. They both pretended that Stiles didn’t already know everything about what happened, and their friendship grew stronger for it.

Now, Stiles knew that Cora and Isaac had been secretly dating for three months, against Talia’s advisement. He knew about the time that Derek had snuck wolfsbane out of Peter’s private stock to get drunk with his friends in college. He knew that Graham was going to propose to Laura right after her graduation in a few weeks. He knew that Natalie was considering telling her mother that she was very definitely bisexual (and maybe exclusively interested in girls, she wasn’t sure yet). And he knew that Laura was pretty sure she was pregnant- her second scare in the last six months.

Stiles, on the other hand, didn’t have anyone that he felt he could fully confide in. He couldn’t tell any of the Hales about his feelings for Derek, because none of them would be able to keep it from him. He’d told Lydia, because he trusted her to know when it was okay to tease him for it without giving it all away to everyone else. He could not, however, tell Lydia about his concern on her growing power. In this reality, nothing had happened to trigger her banshee powers. She shouldn’t have been able to access that particular magic, and yet… her runes were getting stronger every day. Alan had told them both that they were almost ready to move onto the next stage of learning, but Stiles worried that it would send Lydia down the wrong path. He’d _seen_ what being a banshee had done to her. Would it be different now that the Hales were around to keep the peace? Somehow, he doubted it.

He couldn’t tell anyone about his growing sense of unease, either. They all watched him every day as he carved new runes into the trees around the Hale property, and none of them said a word or asked any questions. Sometimes, Lydia would join him and add her power into the runes with his, but even she didn’t understand why they were doing it. To everyone else, the threat was gone.

Maybe it was because this was when everything started in his reality. Freshman year was when Scott got his bite and all of the death and destruction started. Was that what he was worried about? He didn’t think so. Peter was perfectly sane and happy in this reality. He had his daughter, Faye, to keep him anchored. There was no chance of Peter suddenly going crazy and biting Scott, for two reasons. Peter was _not_ an alpha, and wouldn’t become one. Talia was stronger than ever, and Laura was drawing very near to inheriting her _own_ alpha power.

Scott, on the other hand, had chosen a different path entirely. Talia had offered him the bite on the same day that she’d offered it to Boyd. Both boys had turned her down, much to Stiles’ surprise. Instead, Boyd was studying the practical uses of herbs and elixirs with Alan, and Scott was learning as much about the medical field as he could from both Alan and Melissa. Boyd didn’t want to use magic, but he wanted to be able to help in an emergency. He was getting really good at mixing up concoctions on the fly to stun enemies long enough for a wolf to take advantage. Scott, on the other hand, wanted to be the one to patch up his family if they got hurt. He was a lot like his mother, and Stiles was proud of him for it.

Boyd, Scott, and Danny were the only humans left of Stiles’ old pack. Erica had taken to being a wolf with the grace she’d always been capable of. Talia had told Stiles more than once that she was a natural. It was as if she was born to be a wolf. Isaac had a bit more trouble with control, and he’d been talking a lot with Laura about his anger towards his father and how to overcome it.

Jackson was the most impressive, though. Since he’d been brought into the fray early on, and no secrets had been kept from him, he did _not_ become the kanima. There was no giant lizard terrorizing the town, and no murderous Argent to control him. Instead, Jackson became quite possibly the most loyal member of the Hale pack. With Laura and Talia’s help, he was able to overcome the anger he felt towards his biological and adoptive parents, and he was much happier for it.

As he laid there reminiscing, Stiles wasn’t really surprised to hear his alarm going off. No sleep, for the third night in a row. He sat up with a sigh, grabbing his phone to send his customary ‘good morning’ text to the Hale pack group chat that they’d set up just under a year ago. (None of the adults had been interested, but the teenagers used it on a daily basis for communication- even when they were side by side.)

**_From: Red_ **

_Good morning, boys and girls!_

**_From: Sourwolf_ **

_Of course, you’re the first one up._

**_From: Scotty_ **

_First day of freshman year! We’re all up!_

**_From: Tink_ **

_Ugh, make it stop. I’ve got another half hour on my alarm!_

**_From: Lyds_ **

_Rise and shine, sweetie. We’ve got to get there early._

**_From: Tink_ **

_WHYYYY?_

**_From: Scotty_ **

_She wants to impress the teachers._

**_From: Wolfie_ **

_Morning! I’ll be by to pick you boys up in an hour. Be ready!_

**_From: Red_ **

_Can’t wait!_

Shoving his phone into the pocket of his jeans, he grabbed a new sharpie from the desk in the corner of the room. A quick rune under his sleeve, where it wouldn’t be seen, and all of his tiredness melted away. He’d be able to maintain it all day, and then hopefully get some sleep that night. It worked better than coffee. He just couldn’t let anyone catch him doing it. He’d promised his mother that he wouldn’t use any magic outside of his lessons with Deaton and protecting his pack.

“Alan says that frivolous magic will lead you down a dark path. I just want you to be safe, Mieczyslaw,” she’d said. He’d taken one look at the worried expression on her face before caving. Of course, what she didn’t know couldn’t hurt her. It’s not like he did it very often, after all.

She was waiting for him downstairs, coffee already brewing. She always seemed to know when he’d gotten little to no sleep, though he was completely sure it wasn’t because she’d heard him. He’d warded his room against werewolf sense before she’d even accepted the bite. That was the one set of runes he kept active at all times.

“How did you sleep?” she asked, offering him a plate of eggs and toast. His father must have already gone to work, judging by the empty mug and plate in the sink.

“Fine,” he replied casually, keeping his heart as steady as possible. He was mastering the art of lying to wolves surprisingly easily. Laura had been teaching him, and she was a master at it.

“That’s good. I’m glad to hear it,” she smiled. It didn’t quite meet her eyes, and neither of them mentioned the lie. It was a charade that happened nearly every morning, now. “Laura is driving you to school, right?”

“Yeah, she texted a little while ago. She’ll be here in a little bit. I think she’s going to pick up Scott and Isaac on the way,” Stiles agreed, giving his first real smile of the morning. Claudia nodded, pouring the finished coffee into her travel mug.

“You’re going to the Hale house after school?” she asked, turning her attention back to him. He made sure to take a big bite while she was looking, so she wouldn’t be worried that he wasn’t eating. (He got caught magic-ing away his food _one_ time, and she hadn’t trusted him to eat ever since.)

“As far as I know. Jackson is going to drive us, I think. Laura has some last minute skype meeting with her councilor to make sure she’s got all the credits she needs for her graduation, and she won’t be done in time to get us,” Stiles told her.

“I’m surprised Derek didn’t volunteer,” Claudia replied casually, smiling into her mug when Stiles choked on his bite.

“ _Mom_ ,” he groaned, dropping his head into his hands.

“What? I’m just saying!” she laughed, walking forward to grab her purse off of the opposite counter. “I’ve got to get to work, sweetie. I’ll meet you at the Hale house this afternoon, and maybe we can get dinner at the diner with your dad tonight.”

“I’d like that,” Stiles agreed, grinning. The blush hadn’t quite faded from his cheeks, but he didn’t really care. It felt so _good_ to be able to have this, he couldn’t stay annoyed or upset with his mother. She pressed a kiss to his forehead on her way by, and then she was gone.

Laura pulled into his driveway and honked twice just as he was finishing his breakfast. He dropped his plate into the sink quickly and barely remembered to grab his bag in his rush to get outside. He was ridiculously co-dependent with his pack. Thankfully, they were all just as ridiculous. Laura pulled him into a one-armed hug when he climbed into the passenger seat, and Isaac leaned forward to pat his shoulder as soon as she released him. He knew he’d be smelling like both of them for the rest of the day, and it didn’t make him nearly as annoyed as it would have in a different life.

“Took your time,” Laura teased, pulling back onto the road. “These two were waiting for me on their porch.”

Isaac had been living with the McCall’s since Melissa had finally agreed to officially adopt him two years ago. She didn’t try to become his mother, and he never tried to push her away. It was always nice to watch the three of them interact, because they were so good as a family. (Stiles couldn’t help but compare _everything_ to the way it was in his own time. Alan had promised him that over time that urge would fade, but… Stiles was starting to doubt it.)

“Yeah, well, they’re big on sucking up,” Stiles countered, sending a wink to Scott over his shoulder. Scott reached forward to shove his shoulder playfully.

“Speak for yourself,” he teased. “I’ve never seen you run that fast before. _Someone_ was eager to see his favorite Hale.”

“Oh no, _I’m_ not his favorite Hale,” Laura grinned. “His favorite Hale is at home pretending to be asleep because he doesn’t know how to function without spending the whole day with his shadow. You guys are awful.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Stiles protested, trying not to blush again. Both wolves in the car could hear that he was lying, and they both laughed. Even Scott, who could guess what had happened after spending so much time around the wolves, was laughing at him. “I hate you all.”

“No, you don’t,” Isaac reminded him.

“No, I don’t,” Stiles sighed, smiling despite himself. He wouldn’t trade this for anything. Of course, his good mood wasn’t destined to laugh. Pulling into the school parking lot, he saw the one person that could ruin everything he’d worked so hard for.

Allison Argent was climbing out of her father’s car, bag over her shoulder and smile on her face.


	2. Chapter Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Stiles stresses himself out and his pack tries to calm him down.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Text Names:
> 
> Jackass- Jackson  
> Gay Yoda- Danny  
> Red- Stiles

Stiles didn’t have any classes with Allison in the first half of his day. He kept up a running conversation with _his_ pack, but only Lydia and Danny had a class with her. Lydia reported that she was quiet and really smart, but Stiles already knew that. Danny told them all that she didn’t seem to be interested in making any friends, but he did catch her staring at him twice.

( ** _From: Jackass_**

_That doesn’t mean much, dude. You’re attractive._

**_From: Gay Yoda_ **

_Keep it in your pants, Jax._

**_From: Red_ **

_GUYS! Focus, please!_ )

Erica kept finding him between classes to give him hugs or subtly scent him, and she didn’t seem fazed at all when he glared at her the third time she manhandled him closer to her. Boyd didn’t physically force himself onto Stiles, but he was a silent presence by his side while Erica did. Stiles knew he was offering comfort in his own way. He hated that it was necessary for the comfort to be offered, but he appreciated his pack going out of their way to make him feel better.

By lunch, he was still on edge and unable to concentrate on much of anything. He was a jittery mess, and he knew that Erica and Isaac were both really worried about him. As soon as he sat down at their table, Cora threw an arm over his shoulder and dragged him into a hug. He didn’t know if the others had updated her before he arrived, or if he was just that obvious. Either way, she was more effective than Erica had been.

“Relax,” she hissed into his ear. “You’re drawing too much attention. If she’s as dangerous as you say she is, she’s going to be on us just because you’re reacting so badly.”

“I can’t help it,” Stiles sighed. Still, he forced himself to relax into the hug, and some of the tension he didn’t know he’d been holding onto drained away. “Where were you this morning, anyway?”

“I rode to school with Jackson, Lydia, and Danny. Lydia had a shirt for me to borrow,” she replied, releasing Stiles from her grip when she deemed him calm enough.

Scott’s tray hit the table a little harder than necessary, and Stiles was surprised to see his best friend looked just as anxious as he’d felt a few minutes before. He didn’t get a chance to ask him about it before Scott pinned him with a crushed look.

“Dude, you didn’t tell me she’s _beautiful_!” he whined. “I can see how _your_ Scott fell for her. It’s so hard to ignore her! I saw her in the hall a few minutes ago and I thought I was looking at an angel!”

“Oh my god,” Stiles groaned. He _could not_ handle another tragically doomed romance. Cora’s hand landed on his arm, squeezing in warning as his anxiety started to rise again. Lydia settled on his other side and gave him a very pointed look.

“I’m going to state the obvious one time only, and you’re going to listen to me,” she told him, speaking softly in her dangerous tone of voice. “The things that you knew from your own timeline are no longer relevant. The Argents that were dangerous have been taken care of. I know you’re worried about Victoria, but she’s one woman. Even if she decides to attack, the Hale pack is stronger than they’ve ever been. You confirm that at every single pack meeting we attend.”

“What’s your point?” he asked her, frowning.

“My point,” Lydia snapped. “Is that _this_ Allison is _not_ the Allison that you knew. She’s not going to make the same decisions, because she’s already been raised differently than your Allison was. Yes, she’s a hunter. But you’ve told me more than once about how good and pure _your_ Allison was. She was the one to redefine the Argent Code, remember? She fell in love with your Scott regardless of his species, and she was a valued member of your pack. I don’t know if you’re scared that it will go the same and you’ll lose her again, or if you’re worried that she’s a completely different person who will try to kill us all, but you can’t judge her- no, you can’t make _us_ judge her based on the person that _you_ knew. She’s not that person.”

“She… _my_ Allison tried to kill us on more than one occasion,” Stiles admitted a bit distractedly. Lydia huffed, but she didn’t say anything else. He had to admit, she had a point. He couldn’t ask his entire pack to alienate her based on things that now _never happened_. And knowing that it had never happened… Scott wasn’t a wolf. Maybe their romance wouldn’t be doomed this time, if there ended up being one at all. Maybe things really could be better? He didn’t think he could afford to have that hope, but he nodded after a few seconds anyway. “You’re right. We should give her a chance.”

“Give who a chance?” the girl in question asked, sitting down at the far end of the table with a sack lunch. She was smiling pleasantly, but Stiles didn’t need to be a wolf to know that she was out of her comfort zone.

“You,” Cora told her plainly. “We were discussing you.”

“I know,” Allison nodded calmly. “I know that you know who I am, and I think it’s only fair that you know I’m aware of who you all are.”

“Are we supposed to be surprised by that?” Jackson asked, raising his eyebrows challengingly. She shook her head, smile still firmly in place. Stiles wasn’t really sure what she was thinking, but Cora’s hand on his arm tightened again when he started to open his mouth.

“Of course not. I’m aware of what happened between your family and mine. I want you to know that I come in peace,” she told them conspiratorially. “I don’t want there to be any bad blood between us. My father raised me better than that.”

At the mention of her father, Stiles found himself actually beginning to relax. He’d never forgotten what Chris had done for them. He’d heard all about how Chris was able to hold off his sister until Peter got there to finish her off. He knew that Chris had taken the bodies of his father and sister and buried them somewhere in the woods outside of Beacon Hills where they would never be found. He’d even gotten to thank him before he left town to go back to his wife and daughter. Of course Chris wouldn’t let his daughter grow into a monster if he could help it. It was starting to be obvious that without Kate’s toxic influence, Victoria hadn’t managed to fully turn Allison into the ruthless hunter she could have been.

“I’m Erica,” said wolf offered her hand with a small smile. “It’s nice to finally meet you.”

“Finally?” Allison asked, shaking her hand. “I’m sure you already know, but I’m Allison. It’s nice to meet you, as well. I think I can place who everyone is, but… I wouldn’t mind the introductions.”

The next few minutes consisted of his pack introducing themselves and scrambling over each other to ask and answer questions. Stiles stayed silent the whole time, watching them get acquainted with the girl who would either help or destroy them all. Finally, she turned her full attention to Stiles. Her eyes were sparkling as she studied him. His pack fell silent, tension rising once more.

“I know who you are, Stiles,” she told him softly, leaning forward. “My father told me about you. I think I know _what_ you are, as well. But I’ve been holding off on judging until I met you for myself.”

“And who- or what- do you think I am?” he asked, resting his hands on the table. This was the moment of truth.

“What you are doesn’t matter,” she said after a few moments of silence. “Though I hope to someday call you my friend. My father told me that you risked your very existence to make sure that your family survived. I can respect that. I think we all can.”

“Your mother won’t,” Stiles told her conversationally, keeping his tone light as he watched her for a reaction. To his surprise, she just smiled and sat back. She seemed genuinely happy.

“Given the circumstances of what happened here in Beacon Hills, my grandmother saw fit to step in. It doesn’t really matter what my mother can or can’t accept, because she isn’t our matriarch,” she informed him. Stiles could only blink at her for several seconds as he took that in.

“Then… who is?” Stiles asked, leaning forward this time. “Your grandmother was too old, that’s why it went to Kate.”

“And the next _Argent_ in line wasn’t my mother. She married into the family, you see,” Allison reminded him. “While the Harvelle’s are a formidable hunting family, my grandmother felt it should go to someone who was born an Argent. The next Argent in line was me.”

“ _You_ are the Argent Matriarch?” Stiles asked, gaping at her. Cora sunk her claws lightly into his thigh to get him to sit back and stop being rude, but he couldn’t pull his eyes away from Allison.

“Yes, I am,” she confirmed. “And I can promise you that your pack has nothing to fear from me. Correct me if I’m wrong, but you’re training to be their emissary, aren’t you?” she replied, grinning now. “My father had a conversation with the current emissary last night to pass on our message of peace. We agreed that it would be best for me to give you the same message in person. Were we wrong?”

“No, you weren’t wrong,” Stiles told her, starting to smile. For once, it seemed like things might be going his way. “Thank you.”

“What are you thanking me for?” she asked, cocking her head to the side. He couldn’t tell if she knew already or not. He genuinely couldn’t tell how much Chris had told her, or what he’d left out. He didn’t want to outright ask her, either.

“Maybe someday I’ll tell you everything,” he offered instead, holding out his hand. “Welcome to Beacon Hills, Allison Argent.”

“Thank you,” she replied, reaching forward to shake his hand.


	3. Chapter Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Lydia sets some things straight.

Lydia cornered him at his locker at the end of the day. Scott gave him a sympathetic look, but left him to deal with his fate alone. She waited for him to grab his bag before closing the locker on him and turning on her heel to walk away. He followed her, obeying the silent command. He knew better than to challenge her when she was like this. Still, he couldn’t help but speak up.

“Shouldn’t we be heading out to find Jackson?” he asked as he caught up. It was pretty clear she was leading him out the side door, towards the forest. She gave him a look, but didn’t say anything until they’d reached the trees. Nobody was following them, and none of the wolves would be able to hear them now.

“They all know we’re out here. I informed them in our group chat,” she told him calmly. He frowned, patting his pocket for his phone, but she shook her head. “The one you’re not in.”

“You have a group chat without me?” He was a little hurt by that.

“We have one to discuss how you’re worrying us on any given day. It’s been pretty active today. You really scared Isaac. Even Cora thought you could use this talk,” she confirmed. He calmed a little when he heard what it was for, but he hardly thought it was necessary.

“What talk?” he asked, crossing his arms. “Is this an intervention? Because those usually involve a lot more loved ones and a lot less… trees.”

“You’re still comparing _us_ to the people you _used_ to know,” she said softly, starting to walk down a path that went further into the forest. With a sigh, he followed her. “I know we didn’t live through what you have, but if you would just _talk_ to us-“

“It’s not that easy,” he interrupted. “I’ve already told you guys everything that’s happened, anyway. There’s nothing new to share.”

“You told us the hard facts,” she countered. “And I know you edited them for children. We all know that a lot more happened than you’ve opened up about. Stiles, we just want to help you. We can’t do that if you’re always walking on eggshells around us.”

“I- I’m not doing that,” he protested weakly. She gave him a pointed look, and he dragged a hand down his face in exhaustion. 

“You’re not sleeping,” she stated, not bothering to make it a question. “Don’t think I don’t know about the rune you’ve been using to stay awake all day. It’s draining you. Even Deaton has noticed that you’re falling behind. You’re so strong, Stiles. Please try to remember that you don’t have to do everything alone.” 

“I _know_ that,” he sighed. “You’re right, I’m still comparing everything to what I used to know. Alan told me that will go away over time, but the memories aren’t fading, and I can’t stop. When I saw Allison this morning, my very first reaction was blind panic. Her arrival was one of the first things to go wrong in my time. It happened right after Scott got bitten- on the same day, even. He got bitten just after midnight, and she showed up late to school later that very morning. It only went downhill from there. I keep waiting for the other shoe to drop, Lydia.”

“But Scott _didn’t_ get bitten,” she pointed out gently. “ _Your_ Allisondidn’t know anything about being a hunter at all. She couldn’t have spotted a wolf if her life was on the line. _Your_ Scott didn’t know anything about it, either. Neither did you, for that matter. And don’t get me started on _your_ Lydia. Look at where you are now.”

“I know, things are a hundred times better,” Stiles agreed softly.

“No, things are a hundred times _different_ ,” she said pointedly. “Don’t focus on what’s better and what’s worse. Realize that this is a different universe. We are different people. You can’t spend all of your time waiting for us to act like we were in your previous time, Stiles. We are never going to.”

“No… I know,” he agreed, leaning against a tree. They’d gone far enough into the forest that he knew they shouldn’t continue forward.

“Do you? Do you understand that now?” she pressed, frowning at him. “Because it’s not just you that you’re hurting with this. None of us know how to help you, and it’s hard to watch you slowly fall apart. You don’t even see it, because you’re so lost in your own world.”

“I’m sorry,” he told her, meaning it. “I’ll work on it.”

“No, I need you to _fix_ it, not work on it,” she frowned. “Stop pretending that this is what you knew. You don’t know what’s going to happen anymore. We’re training together to be prepared, but you’re holding yourself back by trying to predict what will happen based on your memories.”

“You’re worried about me holding myself back?” he asked, raising his eyebrows. “Or are you worried about me holding _you_ back?”

“How can you say that to me?” she demanded, looking genuinely hurt. “If you think I’m anything other than worried about _you_ and what you’re doing to yourself, why did you bother to befriend me? Clearly you don’t know me at all.”

“Lydia-“ he started, regret building inside of him.

“Save it. We’ll talk when you’re actually ready to hear me,” she snapped. She turned on her heel and marched back up the path. This time, Stiles didn’t bother to follow her. She wouldn’t be happy to see him. Instead, he dug his phone out and dialed the one person he wanted to talk to.

_“Hello?”_

“Derek? Uh, hey. Is there any chance you can come get me?” he asked, sliding down to sit in the dirt. Immediately, he could feel a connection with the earth. It was grounding, the feeling of the magic in the earth.

_“Weren’t you riding with Jackson?”_

“Yeah, well, I kinda pissed off Lydia. They’re probably already long gone, and I doubt they’re going to your place anymore,” he admitted. “I’m out in the woods, but I’ll be back in the parking lot before you can get here.”

_“Take a few minutes to calm yourself down. I’ll be there when you’re ready.”_

“Thanks, Der. I appreciate it,” he smiled, closing his eyes as he tried to center himself. It was surprising how easy meditation came to him after he achieved it for the first time.

_“Any time. Do you want me to stay on the line with you while I drive?”_

“Actually… yeah, that would help. You don’t have to talk, I just don’t want to be alone,” he admitted. Even a year ago, he wouldn’t have been able to admit that to anyone. Regardless of what Lydia seemed to think, he really had come a long way.

_“I understand. I’m here.”_

“Thanks,” he said softly. He took a deep breath and let it out, beginning the process of connecting with the earth. It was something Alan had been teaching him for a few weeks now. Something that he was _not_ teaching Lydia. He said that her magic wouldn’t easily connect with the earth, but Stiles would have no trouble at all. He’d been right.

Twenty minutes later, Derek was still on the line with him when Stiles opened his eyes. He was more relaxed than he’d been in weeks. All of the tension he’d been holding onto was gone, and he was smiling easily. He’d apologize to Lydia tomorrow, but for now, he had a wolf waiting on him.

_“When are we going to do this?” Kali demanded, glaring at Deucalion angrily. He didn’t seem phased at all, which only served to make her angrier._

_“Patience, Kali,” he replied calmly._

_“Patience hasn’t done anything for us,” Ennis pointed out, crossing his arms. “We were promised the opportunity to grow stronger, and so far_ _,_ _all we’ve gotten is wilderness and waiting.”_

 _“We_ **_will_ ** _grow stronger,” Deucalion promised. “I’ve arranged for a meeting with Talia Hale for later this week. We will meet with her in the privacy of the forest and present our offer. If she refuses, we will take what we’ve come for. There is another Hale alpha on the rise, after all.”_

_“Another?” Kali asked, her eyes lighting up. “Why are we bothering with Talia if there is another?”_

_“Talia’s daughter has not yet come into her power. Should Talia refuse us, we will convince her daughter to_ **_take_ ** _the power from her mother. It will be quite easy to convince the girl to join our ranks,” Deucalion told them._

_“I don’t see why we can’t just do that in the first place,” Kali pressed. “You make it sound like it will be so easy. Do you not really believe what you’re saying?”_

_“We must do it the proper way. We’re not animals,” Deucalion reminded her._

_“We_ **_are_ ** _animals,” Ennis snarled, but he wasn’t really arguing. “We won’t wait much longer, Deucalion.”_

_“Patience, my dears. We’ll have what we came for,” Deucalion promised._


End file.
